On a cold January morning, a man stood at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin.  He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes during rush hour. It was calculated that about a thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by before a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds before hurrying on to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip; a woman threw the money in the till, and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a three year old boy.  His mother, in a hurry, pulled him along, but the child insisted on stopping to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the little boy continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only six people stopped and stayed for a while. About twenty gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one recognized the violinist as world-famous virtuoso, Joshua Bell.  Or that he played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This event with Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Read the original Washington Post article, Pearls Before Breakfast.

Read more about the discussion.

As a lover of truth and clarity, I am always seeking outlets for where it can be found.  And I’ve found a wonderful site well worth sharing — even though it’s not astrological.

With such an important election bearing down on us, wouldn’t it be nice to get our hands on the unbiased truth about what both Candidates stand for, without all the grand-standing and accusations flying back and forth? Check out www.FactCheck.org. It provides “just the facts ma’am” so we can wade through the morass of misinformation all around.

If you find it as enlightening as I do, please consider passing it on.

Our Mission

We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.

The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg in 1994 to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state and federal levels.

The APPC accepts NO funding from business corporations, labor unions, political parties, lobbying organizations or individuals. It is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation.

It’s not surprising. Everyone is feeling the pinch. And the planets suggest some financial challenges will remain with us through 2012.

While there are periods (which I’ll get to in a moment) that present especially “interesting” conditions, there is nothing to indicate that we’ll be looking at a total collapse. But there are times ahead that will trigger serious enough problems to bring major policy changes and economic reforms.

In a nutshell, the USA has entered a phase of traversing the downside of the peak of the last two decades. This is forcing most Americans to begin thinking about, if not changing, how they spend and save money.

Taking a Look at Recent and Upcoming Times of Astrological Note:

December 2006 – Saturn opposite US Moon

When Saturn, the task-master, moved into challenging aspect with the US Moon, representing our sense of security, home, and comfort levels, we began to experience a constriction in the real estate and financial markets.

September 2007 – Saturn enters Virgo

When Saturn moved into Virgo, the true extent of the mortgage and real estate crisis came to the fore. Sounds very “Saturn in Virgo,” but value investing is back, along with cautious spending and thrifty saving.

December 2008 – Saturn conjunct US Neptune

When Saturn (reality) connects with Neptune (hopes and dreams) it can bring the experience of deep disillusionment and disappointment. Since Saturn is affecting the area of the chart involving our sense of home, roots, and foundation, as well as the area of our public standing and careers, we can expect this disillusionment to be tied to these matters.

There are some positive aspects happening concurrently, so all shouldn’t be gloom and doom. Whatever the challenges, we’ll be able to rise to meet them.

July 2010 through the end of 2012 – Saturn Return

Planetary returns are about birds coming home to roost, so to speak. The US Saturn returning to its radix placement indicates more economic problems being uncovered. This is also a likely time for government stepping in and making regulations that affect financial institutions.

The Broad Stroke

For the next few years, expect to see more of the same — continued economic problems surrounding real estate and financial institutions, along with continued soaring oil prices and cost of living increases.

Acts of civil unrest will begin to make the news as people get fed up with the widening disparity between the Haves and the Have Nots. We’ll also be seeing more occurrences of unusual weather, and infrastructure failures.

Health insurance and job security issues will continue to make news. And education will become a major political hot topic, as debates begin to rage on the dubious benefits of the “No Child Left Behind” act.

On a Brighter Note

While the general US political and financial picture won’t be as rosy as we’d like (causing most of us to feel quite unsettled), there are some bright spots on the horizon.

Expect health insurance reforms to begin in 2011.

Fed up with federal red tape and ineptitude, watch for state and local governments to start taking matters into their own hands to effect real change.

Look for individuals to begin making choices that leave a smaller footprint on the planet, as more and more people “think Green.” This includes areas such as where we get our food (backyard gardens will become the norm) to the kind of transportation we use (obviously hybrids, but also scooters, bicycles, and mass transit will become signs of the times).

The American people will be seeking ways to empower themselves through developing more personal self-sufficiency by taking individual action.

– Ted Peters (Theologian)

–On Grief by Russell Friedman & John W. James

–Eleanor Roosevelt

–Shirley Abbot